


Words

by telperion_15



Series: Nick/Connor [10]
Category: Primeval
Genre: Alternate Canon, Alternate Timeline Character, Alternate Universe - Canon, Character Death Fix, Gen, M/M, Reconciliation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-02-18
Updated: 2012-02-18
Packaged: 2017-10-31 09:21:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,619
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/342430
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/telperion_15/pseuds/telperion_15
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Now that he's back, Stephen and Nick talk.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Words

**Author's Note:**

> Spoilers for episodes 1.06 and 2.07.

“This is going to take a bit of getting used to.”

Stephen looked around the flat, eyes taking in the details, the differences. “My sofa was a different colour,” he said. “And that picture over the bookcase was hung by the bedroom door. Other than that it looks pretty much the same. Of course, I’ll probably open the wardrobe and find I had completely different taste in clothes.”

“Well, unless you have a particular dislike of faded jeans and t-shirts, I think you’ll be okay,” replied Nick.

“Good to know.” Stephen raised an eyebrow. “Actually, I’m surprised this place is still available for me to live in. I would have thought you’d have sold it or something.”

“Never got around to it,” Nick admitted. “There’s been a lot going on.”

“Yes, there has,” Stephen agreed. He smiled. “Can I get you a drink or something?”

“Cup of tea?”

“Coming right up.” Stephen moved into the kitchen and opened one of the cupboards to reveal a range of tinned goods with stacks of plastic containers on the shelf above them. “Oh. Where the bloody hell are the mugs, then?”

“Second cupboard from the left,” Nick supplied helpfully.

“Thanks.” Locating the correct cupboard, Stephen got out a couple of mugs and put the kettle on. “This is weird,” he muttered.

“Don’t try to take it in all at once,” Nick suggested. “It’ll overwhelm you if you do. Just take it one step at a time.”

“You sound like a psychologist,” Stephen complained. “And believe me, I’m sure I’ll be getting more than enough psychoanalysis over the next few weeks. Lester’s insisting I see a shrink.”

“It’s probably a good idea,” responded Nick.

“Well, there’s something I never thought I’d hear – you agreeing with Lester,” Stephen joked. “Even when he’s not an insane megalomaniac, the guy’s still pretty irritating.”

“You’ll get used to him.”

“I suppose.” Stephen shrugged and held out a mug. “Milk with one, right? You’re not _that_ different, I hope?”

“No, that’s right. Thank you,” said Nick, accepting the tea.

They sat down, Stephen on the wrong-coloured sofa, and Nick on the armchair next to it.

“So, you and Connor, huh?” Stephen said without preamble.

Nick looked surprised for a second, and then smiled. “Not the question I expected you to open with, but okay,” he said. “Yes, me and Connor. Is that going to be a problem?”

“Oh, not at all,” Stephen reassured him. “I was just a bit surprised, that’s all. I wouldn’t have picked it.”

“Neither would I,” Nick confessed. “It kind of caught me unawares.”

“How long has it been going on?”

“A while. Since before you…since before you died.” He paused. “So I guess that means he and I weren’t an item in your world, then?”

“No,” Stephen confirmed. “Not a chance. You liked Connor fine, but nothing like that was going on. For a while I wondered if something might have happened between the two of _us_ , actually.”

Nick’s eyebrows rose. “Between you and me? Really?”

“Yeah. It was before the anomalies, before Helen reappeared. We were close, and I thought I might want more.”

“But nothing came of it.”

Stephen shook his head. “Too much else going on. And then there was Helen. And Lester…” He frowned. “I wonder how they are,” he said. “My Nick and Connor and Abby. I hope they’re okay. I hope Lester hasn’t done anything to them.”

Nick looked awkward. “Do you want to go back?” he asked. “I’m sure we could try…”

“No,” Stephen interrupted him. “I mean, I _can’t_ go back. I wouldn’t have the first clue how. Helen had me well confused on that point. And I’m sure it would be too dangerous for me back there.” He sighed. “But I miss them. We may not have been on the best of terms at the end, but they were my friends. I know that now. They were in an impossible position.”

“We’re your friends, too,” Nick pointed out. “You’re not alone here.”

“I know,” Stephen replied, smiling slightly. “I’m glad you’re here.”

“Happy to help. And I know the others – Connor, Abby, Jenny, and yes, even Lester – will help too.”

Stephen’s smile widened. “Incidentally, what is it with you and Jenny?” he asked suddenly.

“What do you mean?”

“She looks at you like she’s not quite sure what to make of you. And you look at her like you’re expecting to see someone else.”

Nick looked vaguely uncomfortable. “I’m not sure where to start,” he said. “Did you have a Jenny Lewis in your timeline?”

“No, there was only Oliver Leek. Little creep of a man, but apparently not as bad as he was here.”

“What about a woman named Claudia Brown? Was she there?”

“No…actually, wait a minute. There _was_ someone by that name. Right back at the beginning. But then she left the project suddenly. Lester said she’d been transferred to a different department, but now I wonder… Why, who was she?”

“She was very important to me…” Nick began. By the time he had finished his tale Stephen felt like his eyes were bugging out of his head. He was amazed.

“So Jenny Lewis is Claudia Brown?” he questioned. “And she knows this? Wow. Wow…”

“Yeah.”

“So I’m not the only one who’s lost something,” said Stephen. “I’m sorry.”

“Thanks. I still miss her, but I think I’ve accepted it now. Jenny was a bit nonplussed by Helen confirming what I’d been telling her, though. I think she’d really hoped I was just a crazy professor spouting nonsense. But to her credit, she’s dealt with it well. She’d not Claudia and she knows it. And she’s not about to change. She’ll never be anyone but Jenny Lewis.”

“I’m sorry about Helen,” said Stephen suddenly.

“Don’t worry about it. She can be very…compelling,” replied Nick.

“No, I really am sorry,” Stephen insisted. “Sorry about everything that’s gone on between the three of us. I should never have done what I did all those years ago…” He paused. “I assume I did the same thing here that I did there?”

“Yes,” Nick confirmed. “And I bet I reacted to it in the same fashion as I did here as well.”

“You were justified,” said Stephen.

“No, I wasn’t,” Nick argued. “Yes, I had a right to be angry, but instead of cutting you out of my life I should have talked to you about it. We’d been friends for so long you deserved a chance to try and make things right. And I didn’t give it to you. And look what happened in the end.”

His voice wavered slightly, and Stephen reached out a hand and squeezed his arm. “I’m not him,” he said slowly. “I wasn’t there. But I’ve heard Helen’s version of events, and I’ve heard your version of events, and it wasn’t your fault. It sounds like he knew exactly what he was doing, and he felt that he needed to do that.  _It wasn’t your fault_.”

Nick smiled lopsidedly. “Connor’s been telling me that for months,” he said. “And it took me a while to believe it. But I think I do – finally. It’s just, having you here, it brought it all back a bit.”

There were a few moments of silence as both men concentrated on their tea. Then Nick’s phone beeped. He pulled it out of his pocket and looked at it.

“Text message from Connor,” he explained. “Asking if I’m going to be at home tonight.”

“Now there’s something that _is_ different,” exclaimed Stephen. “My Nick barely knew what a mobile phone was, never mind how to text.”

“Connor’s been teaching me,” Nick admitted sheepishly. “He said it was, and I quote, ‘ridiculous that someone as intelligent as me didn’t know how to send a text message.’”

Stephen chuckled. “And to think of all the effort I expended trying to drag you into the twenty-first century,” he complained good-naturedly.

“I’m telling him I’ll see him tomorrow,” Nick said as he started pushing buttons.

“No,” said Stephen suddenly. “Go home. Go and see him.”

“I don’t want to leave you alone on your first night. I can stay here if you want.”

“Go,” Stephen insisted. “I appreciate the offer, but I think I’d rather be alone. I just need some time to think and try and get my head around things. And after being stuck with Helen I think some solitude would be good for me.”

“Well, if you’re sure…?” said Nick doubtfully.

“I am,” replied Stephen. “Please go. You need to be with him.”

“Okay. But if you need anything…”

“I won’t,” said Stephen firmly. “But thank you.”

Nick nodded, drained his mug, and then stood up. “I’ll see you tomorrow, yes?” he said. “How about I pick you up and take you to the ARC?”

“I think you’ll have to,” said Stephen. “Dead men don’t have driver’s licences, after all.”

“That’s true,” said Nick, grinning. “I suspect Lester’s going to be thoroughly sick of the paperwork that’s going to be needed to resurrect you.”

“Oh, what a shame for him,” replied Stephen, with mock-sympathy.

“So I’ll pick you up around nine, then?” said Nick.

“Sounds good. I’ll see you tomorrow. Oh, and Nick?”

Nick halted halfway to the door. “Yes?”

“Thank you for not giving up on me,” said Stephen softly. “It means a lot.”

Nick smiled and nodded. “Of course,” he said quietly. Then he was gone.

Stephen sat back on the sofa, the remains of his tea forgotten in his hands. He hadn’t been lying when he’d told Nick this was going to take a bit of getting used to. But he was glad he had the chance to try.


End file.
